Choose the Right Synonym for malign

Adjective

sinister, baleful, malign mean seriously threatening evil or disaster. sinister suggests a general or vague feeling of fear or apprehension on the part of the observer.
a sinister aura haunts the place baleful imputes perniciousness or destructiveness to something whether working openly or covertly.
exerting a corrupt and baleful influence malign applies to what is inherently evil or harmful.
the malign effects of racism

Verb

malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander mean to injure by speaking ill of. malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying.
the most maligned monarch in British history traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim.
so traduced the governor that he was driven from office asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction.
both candidates aspersed the other's motives vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse.
no criminal was more vilified in the press calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions.
falsely calumniated as a traitor defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name.
sued them for defaming her reputation slander stresses the suffering of the victim.
town gossips slandered their good name

Did You Know?

Verb

When a word's got "mal-" in it, it's no good. That prefix traces to the Latin word malus (which means "bad"), and it puts the negative vibes in "malign" and a host of other English words. You can see it in "malpractice" (bad medical practice) and "malady" (a bad condition, such as a disease or illness, of the body or mind). A "malefactor" is someone guilty of bad deeds, and "malice" is a desire to cause injury, pain, or distress to another person. Other "mal-" formed words include "malaise," "malcontent," "maladroit," "malodorous," and "malnourished."

Examples of malign in a Sentence

Adjective

both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable

Verb

Her supporters say she is being unfairly maligned in the press.
a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malign.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.